TUSCALOOSA CITY BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT 1: Minyard, Young say reaching kids is key to their success

Saturday

Aug 24, 2013 at 12:03 AM

Candidates for the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education District 1 seat both say that reaching kids when they’re young is key to success when they’re older. Voters will choose between incumbent James Minyard and challenger Earnestine “Stine” Young at the polls Tuesday.

By Stephanie TaylorStaff Writer

Candidates for the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education District 1 seat both say that reaching kids when they’re young is key to success when they’re older. Voters will choose between incumbent James Minyard and challenger Earnestine “Stine” Young at the polls Tuesday. Both cite their experiences as qualifications for the job.Minyard, 70, has served 12 years on the board and said his civic, education and social work background makes him the best candidate. Young, 60, says that her involvement in the community and experience as a substitute teacher would benefit the board. Minyard said that the system should switch to a system in which elementary school teachers specialize in core subjects, rather than teach the same class throughout the school day.“Elementary school teachers are the only ones expected to be experts in all subjects,” he said. Every elementary school should be staffed with reading and math specialists, he said.Young said that a student’s chances for success increase with parental involvement. She said that the system needs programs that match parent’s skills with volunteer opportunities in the schools. “There are parents who either dropped out of school or had bad experiences with teachers or school in the past,” she said. “We need to change their attitude about school, and make them feel welcome and like they’re a part of the school because their child goes to that school.”Schools should have a resource room where parents can meet and interact with one another and teachers, she said. Teachers could be given incentives to stay after hours and work with parents. Teachers should also communicate to parents when children are doing well, she said.“This will help increase the children’s self-esteem and confidence. Once their self-esteem and confidence are improved, their grades will improve,” she said.Minyard said that the system’s student assessment process allows teachers to identify students who may have trouble in school later. Specialized teachers in the schools would allow them to focus more on where the student’s problems may lie, he said. That focused instruction could lead to more students in advanced classes, he said.“Looking at test scores to see where we’re going is working,” he said. “We’ve taken a lot of positive steps.”He said that the board has made positive changes in recent years that have led to improvements in student performance, including at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School. Voters in District 1 vote in the auditorium at the Tuscaloosa Department of Transportation office at 1000 28th Ave.